The present invention is directed to a motor vehicle diagnostic tool, and more specifically to a system to prevent unauthorized use of software with a motor vehicle diagnostic tool.
Passwords have been widely utilized to prevent unauthorized access to stand-alone computer systems. Most computer networks utilize passwords to prevent unauthorized access to network resources. Some of these passwords are encrypted to prevent sniffers from determining the passwords when they are transmitted over unsecure transmission paths. In addition, various electronic media have included passwords to prevent illegitimate possessors of the electronic media from utilizing software on the media. While passwords may prevent an illegitimate possessor of the electronic media from utilizing software stored on the media, a password alone will not prevent a legitimate purchaser from utilizing software stored on the media in an unauthorized manner.
Other electronic devices have included the ability to store and secure information and make certain decisions as dictated by a specific application. For example, a smart card is an electronic device (about the size of a credit card) that contains electronic memory and may include a central processing unit (CPU). Smart cards that have not included a CPU have primarily been utilized as information storage cards (e.g., electronic cash), which a user could, for example, spend in a retail transaction. Electronic circuitry in both types of cards has protected the stored information from damage or theft.
Smart cards have also been utilized to ensure secure access to open interactive systems. These cards, among others, have provided encryption key mobility, secure single sign-ons and electronic digital signatures. Smart cards have also been utilized for other purposes, which have included storing an individual's medical records and generating network identifications (IDs). To utilize a smart card, a user inserts the smart card into a smart card reader which allows information stored within the smart card to be read and/or modified.
As is well known to one of ordinary skill in the art, bulletin board systems (BBSs) have been widely utilized to electronically disseminate software. Suppliers of software for diagnostic tools have also utilized BBSs to provide updated software to a customer. On most BBSs of this type, a customer must contact a supplier to receive a certificate number, which has typically been provided at additional cost. The certificate number has been coded so that the BBS can determine which software to electronically provide to the customer. In a typical application, the BBS has canceled or removed the certificate number from its database after supplying the requested software to the customer. Thus, only one copy (or a limited number of copies) of the software are provided to a particular customer. However, providing software to a customer in this manner has not prevented the customer from later making multiple copies of the downloaded software or providing functional copies of the software to others.
In the automotive diagnostic field with the addition of new model vehicles, it is important for the supplier of diagnostic instruments to provide updated software which allows service technicians to utilize an existing diagnostic tool with new vehicle models. The cost of updating the software, however, must be offset by the sales of updated software for use with a particular manufacturer's diagnostic tool. In order to prevent, for example, a large service facility from purchasing a single software update and sharing it amongst multiple service technicians utilizing different diagnostic equipment, it would be desirable to provide a system which prevents unauthorized use of such updated software with multiple diagnostic instruments.